Esports isn’t just the fastest growing live-sports sector, it’s also one of the biggest drivers of technological innovation for live production today. SVG’s inaugural Esports Production Forum will explore how video game publishers, esports leagues and venues, and live-streaming outlets are bringing an entirely new mindset to the world of live-sports production. Join SVG at the Sheraton Universal Hotel on Nov. 6, to hear from esports production leaders on the state of the industry and get a behind the-scenes look at how live esports content is being produced and distributed to a rapidly growing fan base.

Blizzard Arena Tour

As part of the inaugural SVG Esports Production Forum, SVG and Blizzard Entertainment will be hosting a private behind-the-scenes tour of Blizzard Arena in Burbank on the afternoon of Monday, Nov. 5. Click here for more information.

Full Program

9:00 – 9:15 a.m.: State of the Market: Understanding the Esports RevolutionClick here for presentation
Esports is a mature business that stretches back decades, but it is a new world for those who have built their career in traditional sports media. This opening presentation will provide an overview of the current esports market, including the major organizations involved, how fans are consuming this content, and what esports means to the broader sports and entertainment industries at large.Presenter:Nicole Pike, Nielsen Esports, Managing Director

9:15 – 10:00 a.m.: At the Front Bench: Inside Live Esports ProductionsClick here for video
Live esports productions contrast mightily with those of traditional stick-and-ball sports. From the control room to the observer room, esports production teams are blazing the trail when it comes to modern day storytelling. Go inside the minds of some of today’s top esports producers and directors to learn what it takes to create a top-level viewing experience.Moderator: Jeff Jacobs, Skyline New Media, Principal and Esports Production Forum ChairPanelists:
Matt Celli, NBC Sports and Olympics, Head of Production Technology, Innovation and DataCorey Dunn, NGAGE Esports, Executive Producer
Frank LaSpina, Blizzard Entertainment, Senior Producer of Overwatch BroadcastDavid Lee, ESP Gaming, VP, OperationsDave Stewart, Riot Games, NA LCS Executive Producer and Broadcast Lead

10:00 – 10:15 a.m.: Esports in the Future – New Business Models and Technology Innovation (Sponsored by Akamai)Click here for presentationIn this special session Nelson Rodriguez from Akamai Technologies will unpack the old and the new of esports, and explore where genuine innovation may come from in the future. Many of the existing monetization models of esports follow tried and true formats from traditional sports. Akamai has met with esports leaders all over the world, and some companies are experimenting with new approaches to engaging with audiences and driving revenue.Presenter:
Nelson Rodriguez, Akamai Technologies, Global Director, Media Industry Strategy

10:15 – 11:00 a.m.: Networking Break

11:00 –11:40 a.m.: Remote Production: Safe at HomeClick here for video
National sports networks and esports leagues around the globe are embracing a new means of working whereby the control room for the production is located thousands of miles away. This new form of operations creates new opportunities as well as challenges. Experts sound off on their experiences to date and what the future holds.Moderator: Jason Dachman, SVG, Chief EditorPanelists:
Robert Erickson, Grass Valley, Advanced Technology DirectorLinda Hannan, The Switch, Director of SalesRay Panahon, Riot Games, Technical Lead, EsportsMitch Rosenthal, Riot Games, Head of Production and Operations

11:40 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.: Morning Keynote: Yvette Martinez-Rea, ESL North America, CEO and Managing DirectorClick here for video
Get an inside look at how the world’s largest independent esports company produces live content. ESL North American CEO Yvette Martinez-Rea, who leads the strategy and operations of the region, will take the stage to provide a behind-the-scenes look at ESL’s esports-production strategy.Interviewed by: Felisa Israel, 10 Fold Entertainment, Principal Owner

12:00 – 12:45 p.m.: Creating the Esports Arena Experience: A New Technology FrontierClick here for video
Esports arenas, venues designed specifically for esports competitors as well as thousands of fans, continue to be constructed around the globe. Take a deeper dive into some of the most recent arena builds and learn more about the control rooms and in-venue video and audio experiences that are making esports arenas an increasingly hot place for fans to gather.Moderator: Karen Hogan Ketchum, SVG, Director of ProductionPanelists:
Kevin Cottam, Ross Video, Director, Sports and Live EventsPete Emminger, Blizzard Entertainment, Senior Director, Global BroadcastRobert Jordan CVE, Industry ConsultantMichael Little, Artistic Resources Corporation, PresidentDarrell Wenhardt, CBT Systems, Founding Principal

3:00 – 3:15 p.m.: Building an Esports and Gamer News Network (Sponsored by Avid)Click here for presentationEsports and competitive gaming is changing rapidly with new game titles, new content and the creation of professional eSports leagues. Gayle Dickie and Rob Rettberg are at the forefront of the industry, creating and delivering the entire spectrum of gamer news topics that are important to gamers around the world. Learn how they are leveraging Virtual Set technology to build this unique mobile and web platform specifically targeted to the esports and global games industry.
Presenters:
Gayle Dickie, Gamer World News Entertainment, CEO and Executive Producer
Rob Rettberg, Gamer World News Entertainment, Executive VP, Production

3:15 – 3:45 p.m.: Networking Break

3:45 – 4:15 p.m.: College and Amateur Perspectives: The Growing Role of Esports at Conferences, Universities, and Local CommunitiesClick here for video
Universities and college conferences across the country are embracing the esports revolution by launching their own esports initiatives. In addition, grassroots-style amateur leagues are looking to provide a new development path for up-and-coming gamers. Learn about theses organizations’ strategies, their primary goals, and why they believe esports will play a vital role in their future success.Moderator: Jay Tucker, UCLA Anderson School of Management, Executive Director, Center for M.E.M.E.SPanelists:
Mark “Garvey” Candella, Twitch, Director, Strategic PartnershipsMark Deppe, UCI Esports, Director; NASEF, CommissionerMatt Edelman, Super League Gaming, Chief Commercial Officer
Erin Harvego, BTN, VP, Marketing

Blizzard Arena Tour

As part of the inaugural SVG Esports Production Forum, SVG and Blizzard Entertainment hosted a private behind-the-scenes tour of Blizzard Arena in Burbank on the afternoon of Monday, Nov. 5. Attendees checked out one of the most state-of-the-art esports facilities in the world and got an inside look at the cutting-edge technology behind it.

SVGW Networking Reception

SVGW is a networking group that aims to enhance the role of women in the creation, production, and distribution of sports content. All were welcome to attend this reception to network with women in the Los Angeles sports-production community, as well as leaders in the esports space.

Keynotes

Yvette Martinez-Rea, ESL, CEO and Managing Director

Yvette Martinez-Rea is chief executive officer at ESL North America, where she leads the strategy and operations of the region. ESL, a part of the international digital entertainment group MTG, is the world’s largest independent esports company. Previously, Martinez-Rea served as chief operating officer (COO) at ESL North America, where she oversaw business operations for the region.

Prior to ESL, Martinez-Rea served as chief operating officer at Violet Grey, a venture-backed luxury beauty content and commerce company based in Los Angeles. She oversaw the company’s growth, as well as business initiatives and the development of the company’s fulfillment, e-commerce systems, and retail operations.

Before joining Violet Grey, Martinez-Rea was a vice president of change management for Yahoo!’s Global Products organization, responsible for leading the cross-functional change efforts to improve engineering quality and overall organizational effectiveness for a 6,000-person global division. Previous roles at Yahoo! include senior director of strategy and business management, global products; senior director of strategy and business operations; and chief of staff to EVP Yahoo! North America. She also acted as the executive sponsor for the southern California chapter of Women in Technology.

Formerly, Martinez-Rea was the VP of operations at United Online, a publicly traded internet services provider, responsible for business and sales operations for multiple brands including NetZero, Juno, Classmates, Photosite, and UOL Web services.

Martinez-Rea also serves on the board of Young & Healthy, a non-profit dedicated to providing health care to underserved children. She holds dual undergraduate degrees in English literature and gender studies from the University of Southern California.

Robert Occhialini, Turner Sports, VP, Esports Products and Technology

Robert Occhialini is the VP of esports products and technology for Turner Sports. A Turner Sports employee for more than a decade, Occhialini was one of the first employees assigned to Turner’s esports initiatives, helping to strategically work through the esports landscape with the Turner Sports senior leadership team. He also worked on the formation of ELEAGUE, the premium esports tournament and content brand formed in partnership between Turner and IMG that launched in 2016.

In addition to being a member of the leadership team for ELEAGUE, Occhialini is currently responsible for new technology adoption, development and deployment of emerging technologies, and new digital products related to the esports market. In this capacity, he led the conception, design, and development of ELEAGUE’s innovative Game Command mosaic video player. Occhialini was also integral in negotiations between ELEAGUE and Twitch, which in early 2018 yielded a multi-year agreement for Twitch to be the exclusive third-party streaming platform for ELEAGUE’s popular live event coverage.

Prior to his career shift into the esports market, Occhialini served as the digital products executive for NBA Digital. He managed the portfolio of digital products and services for the NBA in the United States, including NBA League Pass and the NBA app across phones, tablets, game consoles, TV connected devices, smart TVs, and watches.

Drew Ohlmeyer, Allied Esports International, Head of Content

A veteran sports media executive and producer, Drew Ohlmeyer has spent three decades in sports tv production, most recently immersed in esports. Entering his second year as the head of content at Allied Esports, Ohlmeyer drives the creative vision and execution of Allied’s major live event streams and original content. He also managed the build of the network quality broadcast infrastructure at Allied’s crown jewel, the Esports Arena Las Vegas. Also at Allied, Ohlmeyer served as showrunner for “Ninja Vegas ‘18”, which set a new record on Twitch for Fortnite streams, eclipsing 667K concurrent views.

Prior to Allied, Ohlmeyer enjoyed a brief stint developing content for ESL – Turtle Entertainment and was also a coordinating producer for GoPro Entertainment. One of the original hires of NFL Network, Ohlmeyer spent 11 years with the NFL developing its network and new media platforms, including its coverage of breaking news and live events. He served as a senior producer contributing to NFL Network’s 100-plus hours of training camp coverage and covering major events such as the Super Bowl and the NFL Draft.

Speakers

Scott Adametz, Riot Games, Esports Live Technology Manager

Currently supporting the Esports Tech, IT, and Broadcast teams, Scott Adametz joined Riot Games earlier this year after a decade in technical and management roles developing new infrastructure solutions for media, tech, and broadcast organizations. Hewas instrumental in launching Pac-12 Networks in San Francisco and Big Ten Network in Chicago.

Adametz has supported technical production of over 9,000 live sporting events ranging from 24 different collegiate sports to NFL’s Super Bowl 52. He is a two-time Emmy nominee for technical achievement in 2014 and 2015 for advancements in IP production technology and further recognized internationally with an IBC Innovation Award.

Adametz is currently playing Factorio and The Long Dark and can’t wait for Fallout 76 and The Last of Us: Part 2 to drop!

Thomas Burns, Dell EMC, CTO, Media and Entertainment

Thomas Burns, Dell EMC’s CTO for media and entertainment, was previously responsible for re-engineering Technicolor’s global file-based workflows, and developed HDR imaging solutions for episodic and feature post-production. He has built a boutique VFX facility in Shanghai and a CG animation feature studio in Toronto. Prior to that, Burns was the architect of Oxygen Media’s (now NBC/Universal) storage and networking infrastructure in Manhattan’s Chelsea Market.

Mark "Garvey" Candella, Twitch, Director, Strategic Partnerships

Mark “Garvey” Candella is the director of strategic partnerships for Twitch. Garvey currently leads the Twitch Student program and has dedicated himself to creating gaming and esports opportunities for students and universities around the world. From humble beginnings as a Magic the Gathering professional player in 1993 and an avid pen and paper role player prior to that, he has been involved in the esports industry in various ways ever since. Candella’s message of inclusiveness, diversity, and collaboration is a personal philosophy deeply ingrained in every project he works on.

Matt Celli, NBC Sports and Olympics, Head of Production Technology, Innovation and Data

Matt Celli is the head of production technology, innovation, and data for the NBC Sports Group. He is responsible for the development, adoption, and integration of advanced and emerging technology that is used across NBC Sports’ portfolio of properties, including Sunday Night Football, Nascar, NHL, Notre Dame Football, and Triple Crown shows.

Celli handles all internal advanced tech projects and owns the relationship with NBC Sports’ partners. In addition to being the group leader in this space, he is the coordinating director for NBC Sports’ esports initiatives, including the NHL Gaming World Championship and Universal Open Rocket League seasons one and two. During season two of UARL, which aired in August of 2018 from the NBC Sports headquarters, Celli executed a creative scenic, lighting, and camera blocking design that was grown and developed internally.

Celli directed the NBC daytime show at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang, South Korea and the diving venue at the 2016 Olympic Summer Games in Rio, Brazil. An 11-time Sports Emmy Award winner, Celli started with NBC Olympics in 2001. He has a B.A. in communication from the University of Scranton.

Mark Chiolis, HPA, Board of Directors

Mark Chiolis has been a member of the HPA Board of Directors for 15 years and is a past and present co-chair for the annual Technology Retreat Program Committee, co-founder of the HPA Awards, and a member of multiple program committees. This year’s 2019 TR-X event will be focused on esports and will provide an updated insight into the state of the industry from a technology, operational, and executive level.

Chiolis is the director of business development for Mobile TV Group (MTVG), which provides facilities for over 4,000 live professional and college sports events with more than 35 mobile units based throughout the U.S. Chiolis is currently working to interface with customers and partners to develop and support MTVG’s entertainment, egames, and esports events with current and new trucks. Prior to MTVG, Chiolis worked in marketing, business development, and sales for Grass Valley, Thomson, Technicolor, Philips, and BTS, as well as at television stations KMUV, KRBK, and KVIE.

Brandon Costa, SVG, Director of Digital

Brandon Costa covers the sports video production industry, with a focus on live streaming, over-the-top (OTT), social media, and other digital distribution technologies and platforms. He also directs SVG’s internal digital strategies launching the company’s video outfit, ‘SVG On Demand,’ designing and overseeing its mobile application, ‘SVG Mobile,’ and serving as executive producer and host of The SVG Podcast. Costa serves as program director of networking events serving the SVG College and SVG Digital communities. Prior to his time at SVG, Costa spent five years producing digital content for MLB Advanced Media.

Kevin Cottam, Ross Video, Director, Sports and Live Events

Kevin Cottam is the director of sports and live events at Ross Video. A graduate of Cambrian College of Applied Arts and Technology, he began his television broadcasting career in 1996 with CTV News. In 1998, he began working with CTV Sportsnet (now Rogers Sportsnet) in Toronto, Canada. Cottam worked at Sportsnet for 13 years as a technical director/studio director, working on studio and live sports productions.

Cottam began freelancing with Ross Video in 2006 as a demonstration artist and trainer, with a focus on professional sports and entertainment productions. He joined Ross Video full-time in 2011 and has been working extensively with professional and collegiate sports teams for game day productions, as well as high-profile entertainment productions. In 2013, he was promoted to head up Sports & Live Events for the U.S. and Canada. In 2018, he started taking on global responsibilities.

Cottam’s team of solutions experts create designs and manage projects all the way through deployment in the traditional sports, esports, and live event venues vertical markets. Recently, the Sports & Live Events team has been working with various game publishers, esports production companies, and esports arenas to cultivate new projects and apply innovative ideas to the world’s fastest growing entertainment market.

Jason Dachman, SVG, Chief Editor

Jason Dachman oversees all aspects of SVG’s North American editorial operations, including the thrice-weekly SVG Insider newsletter and SVG’s annual print publications. A member of the SVG team since 2009, Dachman also serves as program director for SVG’s RSN Summit, Sports Content Management Forum, Sports Graphics Forum, and TranSPORT event. Prior to joining SVG, he spent three years covering local sports for The Patriot Ledger in Quincy, MA, and two years on the production staff of SiriusXM Satellite Radio’s The Ron & Fez Show. Dachman began his career in the Sports Information Department at Northeastern University in Boston, where he also earned a B.A. in media communications and cinema studies.

Mark Deppe, UCI Esports, Director; NASEF, Commissioner

Mark Deppe led the effort to create the award-winning esports program at UCI. Working closely with student leaders, administrators, faculty, and industry partners, Deppe built a business plan that is both cost-neutral to the university and that broadly approaches the world of esports through the five pillars of competition, research, community, entertainment, and careers. Deppe was selected to serve as the inaugural commissioner for the North American Scholastic Esports Federation and has served on the senior leadership team from its inception.

In October 2018, UCI’s esports program was awarded “Most Outstanding Collegiate Program” by industry leaders at the Tempest Awards. While at UCI, Deppe has helped UCI break six world records and led their League of Legends team to a 2018 Collegiate Championship. He has a B.S. in psychobiology from UCLA and an M.B.A. from Cal State Fullerton’s Mihaylo College of Business and Economics.

Gayle Dickie’s vast experience in TV, media, and entertainment enabled her vision to execute a best-of-breed global entertainment platform dedicated to the explosive multi-billion dollar esports and gamer industry. Creating Gamer World News (GWNe) with a dedicated and award winning team of professionals, she launched late April 2018 to a flurry of media attention with multiple appearances on Fox Business News as the go-to esports reporter on Varney & Co. The platform www.gwne.com is the first to use gamer technology and motion tracking for esports, gamer news, and entertainment around the world.

Prior to founding Gamer World News Entertainment, Dickie was a top performer and well-respected entertainment executive with solid relationships in television syndication, animation, toy licensing, marketing, packaging, and producing. She raised private equity with various clients and independent studios worldwide. Dickie also held various positions at Viacom, Mattel Television Syndication, Television Program Services, Fries Entertainment, and Orion Television. She regularly syndicated, packaged, and distributed movie and television programs to over 200 domestic television stations, in addition to managing $20m in advertising and $25m in revenues with some of the most recognized programs in television.

Following her 10 years of syndication, Gayle effectively pitched and packaged DragonballZ to Haim Saban of Saban Entertainment. The show became one of the most successful ‘Japanimation’ programs in the world with global revenues estimated over $100m. Dickie further served as managing director, business development of entertainment and media for Convansys. She was responsible for $14m in sales of business intelligence, end-to-end solutions, and custom development software services to studios, television networks, and music companies.

Dickie serves on the Advisory Board for the LACC Cinema/Television Departments. She most recently finished a UCLA program interview with UCLA students called “Road Trip Nation”, empowering millions of young students and entrepreneurs with advice on how to build meaning into their careers and find their passion.

Corey Dunn, NGAGE Esports, Executive Producer

With more than a decade of broadcasting experience for esports, Corey Dunn has focused on increasing the quality of live event streams. The beginning of his career started with 10 years of shoutcasting for international major esports events for a variety of game genres.

Dunn has produced and directed several of the largest events in esports including Dreamhack, ESL, MLG, Eleague, and so on.

Matt Edelman, Super League Gaming, Chief Commercial Officer

Matt Edelman is the chief commercial officer of Super League Gaming, the defining brand in the amateur esports space. Super League produces and powers experiences enabling gamers to join local teams, participate in seasonal and year-long in-person and digital leagues, and feel the excitement of playing their sport like the pros. Edelman oversees the company’s revenue, marketing, content, live event, and business development activities.

Previously, Edelman served as the head of digital operations and marketing solutions for WME-IMG, where he was responsible for digital growth across the company’s live event properties, digital strategy consulting for the agency’s brand clients, and managing direct-to-consumer OTT businesses. His initial foray into esports included assisting with the formation of ELEAGUE, a JV between WME-IMG and Turner.

Prior to joining WME-IMG, Edelman was the CEO/founder or on the executive team of multiple early stage digital media companies, after having been an entertainment industry executive responsible for helping to build the Marvel Comics entertainment business and launch Marvel.com.

Edelman graduated from Princeton University with a degree in politics and moved to Los Angeles when he was hired by Marvel.

As senior director of global broadcast at Blizzard Entertainment, Pete Emminger leads all broadcast production for Blizzard esports. He is responsible for developing and managing all of the broadcast technology tools and overall execution of live broadcasts across Blizzard’s esports programs, including the Overwatch League.

Emminger began working with Blizzard Entertainment in 2013 as a consulting technical producer, and moved into his current position at the beginning of 2017. He played a key role in the first edition of Heroes of the Dorm that aired on ESPN in 2015, and has been deeply involved in all of Blizzard’s large-scale esports productions ever since. Most recently, he’s been instrumental in developing a permanent broadcast home for esports at the Blizzard Arena Los Angeles in Burbank, California.

Emminger is a fine arts graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. When he isn’t facilitating live broadcasts to every corner of the globe or parsing real-time game statistics, he devotes himself further to his passion for esports by dreaming up new and better ways to fine-tune the spectator experience.

Robert Erickson, Grass Valley, Advanced Technology Director

Robert Erickson is Grass Valley’s director of advanced technology, part of the CTO team. In this role, Erickson works with product teams to identify future product development opportunities and to apply new and emerging technologies that address specific customer challenges. He regularly engages with customers to educate them on emerging industry technologies, such as IP and cloud-based processing, and to gather input that informs Grass Valley’s future plans.

A member of the Grass Valley team since 2008, Erickson has nearly 20 years of experience in the broadcast and IT markets with previous roles covering product evangelism and business development, systems engineering, television station management, broadcast network design, and RF transmission systems. Throughout his career, his focus has been on designing and maintaining systems, using the knowledge he’s gained along the way to help broaden the customer experience.

Erickson is an active participant and frequent presenter in many of the major industry associations, including the Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE), Society of Television Engineers (STE), Society of Motion Pictures and Television Engineers (SMPTE), Hollywood Post Alliance (HPA), Sports Video Group (SVG), and Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS).

Linda Hannan, The Switch, Director of Sales

As director of sales at The Switch, Linda Hannan specializes in digital media, OTT, entertainment, esports, and gaming. Since joining The Switch in 2011, Hannan has worked extensively for customers such as Blizzard Entertainment, Nintendo, Sony PlayStation, and many others. She has brought live matches and events from locations worldwide for encoding via The Switch, as well as streaming to multiple social media platforms including Twitch, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter, along with direct peering to content delivery networks.

Hannan has extensive experience in production, fiber transmission, and streaming, which enables her to customize content acquisition and delivery solutions over The Switch’s international network. Prior to The Switch, Hannan served as client executive for Level 3 Communications (now Centurylink). She also served as VP, business development and sales for Media One Services, the successor to ITN Signal Stream – a production, transmission, and streaming services provider Hannan founded. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Dartmouth College.

Erin Harvego, BTN, VP, Marketing

Erin Harvego oversees marketing for BTN including brand positioning and strategy, media buying, creative, communications, on-air promotions, and event marketing. Under her leadership, the department has been recognized as the winner of numerous national cable competitions including multiple ACC Beacon, Addy, CableFaxie, CTAM Mark, ProMAXBDA, and Cynopsis awards. Harvego was recently named as one of the “2018 Top Women in Digital” by Cynopsis Media.

In 2017, Harvego drove BTN’s efforts in esports by launching BTN League of Legends, a season-long intercollegiate esports competition between Big Ten schools. Now in its third season, teams from all 14 Big Ten Conference schools participate in the competition.

Harvego received her Bachelor of Science in communication from the University of Utah and a Masters of Sports Administration from Ohio University.

Felisa Israel, 10 Fold Entertainment, Principal Owner

After a 20+ year career in the NBA, including serving as NBA Entertainment’s director of live programming and entertainment and helping to start the WNBA, Felisa Israel started her own live event production company, 10 Fold Entertainment.

Guided by a passion for creating memorable live moments and a philosophy of doing everything tenfold, Israel and her team have partnered with some of the biggest names in sports, media, and entertainment to produce a variety of successful events, using their unique blend of expertise to excite audiences and exceed expectations at every stop.

After leaving the NBA, Israel wanted to make an impact beyond the world of sports. She has since worked with charities such as Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and Straight But Not Narrow to produce fundraising and awareness events; moderated and participated in panels with industry experts to help further positive and creative discussions; and built a strong relationship with UCLA and the Anderson School of Management, teaching students, hiring and training interns, and influencing the next generation of rockstars in their fields.

Jeff Jacobs spent 12 years with NBC Sports/Olympics and another 12 with Viacom’s MTV Networks before leaving to form his own company, Skyline New Media. His company serves as a third party production company and content provider. Skyline consults and represents emerging technology companies, in addition to providing digital and social marketing and programming on all platforms.

Jacobs is well known for his production workflows, advances in live streaming, and AR/VR. He is a member of the Directors Guild of America and serves on the advisory board for many popular technology companies. A six-time Emmy Award winner, Jacobs is a member of Sports Video Group’s executive board.

Robert Jordan CVE, Industry Consultant

Robert D. Jordan CVE provides consulting services to teams, venues, property owners, and developers. He is an established voice in the “Smart Stadium” movement by developing solutions that integrate all the electronic systems in modern venues into an integrated operating and content distribution platform that lowers cap ex, improves the fan experience, and maximizes revenue.

Jordan most recently was with Van Wagner’s Team and Venue Services Group, specializing in technology infrastructure at sports facilities and mixed-use districts. Projects included consulting on SunTrust Park and The Battery Atlanta for Major League Baseball’s Atlanta Braves, plus Little Caesars Arena and the District Detroit – the ballpark and arena both opened in 2017. Van Wagner acquired Jordan’s firm, Venue Research and Design, in 2012.

Jordan worked with MLB Advanced Media to update MLB ballparks with a standard wireless platform across the league. His role extended to consulting for MLB on its activation of instant replay in baseball, as well as league-wide installations of Statcast and iBeacon. Jordan’s additional milestone projects included consulting on college facilities such as the University of Washington’s Husky Stadium renovation and Syracuse University’s Carrier Dome. Prior, Jordan was the vice president of design and construction for MetLife Stadium, the $1.65 billion stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., that opened in 2010 for the NFL’s New York Jets and New York Giants. He was also part of the development team at American Airlines Center in Dallas, which opened in 2001 for the NHL’s Stars and NBA’s Mavericks.

Ken Kerschbaumer, SVG, Co-Executive Director, Editorial Services

Ken Kerschbaumer is co-executive director of editorial services for the Sports Video Group and SVG Europe. He was a co-founder of SVG along with Paul Gallo and Marty Porter in 2005 and has been writing about how sports networks and leagues use video and audio technology to deliver a quality TV experience since 1991. Kerschbaumer began his career in 1991 at Television Broadcast magazine before joining Cahners where he was founding editor of Digital Broadcasting magazine. In 2000, he joined Broadcasting & Cable magazine as senior editor of technology where he covered all aspects of broadcasting, cable, and internet content creation and distribution.

Karen Hogan Ketchum, SVG, Director of Production

Karen Hogan Ketchum oversees and manages SVG’s print publications, marketing materials, promotions, event print programs, and all event deliverables. She drives the company’s Venue Initiative, writing about the sports venue production industry and serving as program director for the annual Sports Venue Production Summit. In addition, Hogan Ketchum contributes to the SVG Insider newsletter and is the director of SVGW.

Prior to joining SVG in 2011, she worked as a copyeditor for Professional Sports Publications and an editorial assistant for Advanstar Communications. Hogan Ketchum began her career in sports at Fordham University with WFUV Sports, serving as Supervising Producer of “One on One,” WFUV Sports’ weekly call-in show. After graduating in 2009, she spent the 2009-10 season in the public relations department of the Trenton Devils (ECHL).

David Lee, ESP Gaming, VP, Operations

David Lee oversees operations and production at ESP Gaming. Lee was previously senior manager, publisher/developer relations, and legal counsel at ESL. He has produced some of the most widely watched mobile esports competitions, including programs for Amazon’s Mobile Masters and Supercell’s Clash Royale.

Michael Little, Artistic Resources Corporation, President

Michael Little has been the chief technical officer for the Los Angeles based consulting and systems integrator, Artistic Resources Corporation (ARC) for over 25 years. He has been responsible for leading creative and technical teams charged with the development and innovation across all of ARC’s systems. Some examples include: the world’s first 24p high definition mobile vehicles, stereo (3D) screening rooms, and studio production campus architectures. Starting ARC in 1989, Little worked intensively on the launch of multichannel satellite origination (DTV) and HDTV services throughout North America. Several of his product and technology innovations have defined how early HD television production could better be accomplished.

Little has held a variety of positions over his career including engagements as a video editor for a number of network television programs. This complemented his role as a television director for live telecast and as a music producer and audio engineer for albums and jingles. Marrying technology and the artist is the long standing goal of his career.

He has also held roles as studio manager and production supervisor where he enhanced his understanding of production technology and motivated his passion for creative workflows. In constant pursuit of excellence and efficacy, Little believes that no technology or innovation is to be spared consideration.

Little is an active member of SMPTE – Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, as well as STE – Society of Television Engineers. Within the Hollywood community he has developed a close appreciation for the tireless efforts of the many guilds, trades, and organizations which contribute to the community of entertainment production. Recently, his efforts have been focusing on esports use cases and business models development. Additionally, he is involved with several cloud-based production services for privately held companies which will push the boundaries of a connected world.

Brian Mirakian is a senior principal at Populous and serves as director of Populous Activate in the Americas, which features an approach that powerfully brings brands to life through design. Through a core focus on connective strategy in the entertainment and hospitality industries, he masterfully creates opportunities for engagement by linking people to immersive user experiences on all levels, design mediums, and interactive technologies.

Mirakian’s award winning work has helped create transformative social experiences for his clients, having collaborated with nearly every professional team, some of the world’s leading advertising agencies, the Olympic Games, the NFL, the NBA, MLB, and top brands including Adidas, Pepsi, and Dow. Mirakian’s work has been recognized internationally in ID Magazine, Sports Illustrated, the Discovery Channel, and Sports Business Journal. He received the Award of Honor from the Society of Environmental Graphic Design and has garnered multiple American Institute of Architects design awards for innovation and excellence.

Ray Panahon, Riot Games, Technical Lead, Esports

Ray Panahon currently leads technical operations for esports at Riot Games. He has led the expansion of operations into Latin America and the build out of esports broadcast facilities in various Riot regions globally.

Nicole Pike, Nielsen Esports, Managing Director

Nicole Pike is managing director of Nielsen’s global esports business. Her mission is to not only help clients understand why esports is an important trend to activate against, but also how to strategically invest themselves while remaining authentic to their own audience and the passionate esports fan base.

She has built a career with Nielsen consulting with key players in the gaming and esports industries, bringing insights and actionability to their strategy around fan engagement, sponsorship, and new product launches. With her expertise, endemic gaming companies, brands, broadcasters, and more have successfully entered and excelled in the fast-paced gaming marketplace.

Pike led Nielsen’s jump into the rapidly expanding global esports market, coordinating experts and products across the well-established Nielsen Games and Nielsen Sports verticals to form the new Nielsen Esports division. Under her leadership, Nielsen has developed a tailored practice area for clients looking to understand the fans, sponsorship opportunities, and future trends in the ever-evolving esports space.

Rob Rettberg has been a multi-award winning composer, recording engineer, music supervisor, acoustic designer, and producer for the past 20+ years. He is responsible for the music of over 750 television episodes, programs, and documentaries on all the major networks in North America from Discovery, CNN, ESPN Sportscenter, Fox Sports, Canada AM, ETalk, MSNBC, and BBC News to the CTV Television Network.

Rettberg is the creator of the Imagio music production library for TM Century in Dallas (now called TM Studios and owned by Westwood One) which is being used in over 300 radio and TV stations worldwide. Rettberg moved to LA in 1997 and operates his own digital Dolby surround-recording studio in Hollywood. Nominated for JUNO Awards in dance and children’s music, Rettberg received a SOCAN Composer Award in 1998 for his achievements in film and television music. Honored as “Distinguished Alumni” and Jazz Music Honors Graduate by Humber College, he was named a Premier Award Nominee by the Premier of Ontario for accomplishments in his field.

Rettberg is a recipient of the ARCT from the Royal Conservatory of Canada in piano, as well as the NAEYC Course for the Education of Young Children. In 1985, he was asked to create the Humber College electronic music curriculum. In 2010 and 2012, Rettberg was the recipient of the SOCAN Music Award for his news and sports music in television. He continues to be recognized as one of the foremost Canadian television composers/producers in North America.

Rettberg has been working as EVP of production for Gamer World News Entertainment for the last few years, realizing a vision with technology to create an esports news program with a contemporary game feel and sound.

Nelson Rodriguez is a published author and entertainment industry veteran. He has helped launch one of the world’s first online video storefronts (Xbox Live Video Marketplace) and dozens of video games across every platform, including blockbusters like Halo 3, Tekken 5, and Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood, as well as indie titles like Tweet Defense and A Kingdom for Keflings.

Nelson spent eight years creating award-winning digital marketing campaigns for clients like Ubisoft, Microsoft, Sony, and Hasbro. He has been a main stage speaker and panel moderator at dozens of global conferences, including GDC, NAB Shanghai, Gamescom, and Casual Connect. Nelson currently heads up Akamai Technologies’ media industry strategy.

Mitch Rosenthal, Riot Games, Head of Production and Operations

Mitch Rosenthal has been in the television industry for the last 16 years, working on everything from entertainment news, reality, live sports, and now esports. Rosenthal has been with Riot Games for the last four years and has built teams to support North America and Europe while advising globally. He oversees all production and operations in studio, as well as remote production and operations for esports in North America and for their Central shows which include the Mid Season Invitational, Worlds, and All Star events done on different continents year to year.

Marc Scarpa, Simplynew, Founder

For more than two decades, Marc Scarpa has created and produced innovative participatory programming for live broadcasting. He has musical collaborations with Grammy Award-winning artist John Legend, 50 Cent, Alicia Keys, Beastie Boys, Elton John, Moby, Steve Aoki, Linkin Park, My Chemical Romance, and Imagine Dragons, among many others.

Scarpa was involved with Orbyt Play, a 12 hour multi-channel Indy Gaming festival for G-NET and Youtube Games. He also produced and directed Bud Light’s first esports initiative at DreamHack entitled “Bud Light All Stars” with over 40 of the top eSports athletes in the U.S. and directed season two of the League of Legends national Semi-Finals, Finals, and World Championships for Riot Games.

Microsoft Retail, in partnership with The Gamer Agency, contracted Simplynew to creatively design an esports gaming broadcast studio. Scarpa led the creative programming and distribution strategy, developed creative formats for shows, and hired key production and studio personnel. He also hired top personalities to host competitions and original programming.

Other notable works include Earth Day 40th anniversary, TWC SportsNet’s Second Screen App for the Los Angeles Lakers, Covered California, and The White House entertainment committee’s Tell A Friend Get Covered in partnership with Youtube and Maker Studios. Scarpa directed the Warner Brothers’ Vidcon launch for the feature film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them with 10 of the top international creators including Tyler Oakley and Ingrid Nilsen. He also directed five seasons for Marc Jacobs NY fashion shows.

Dave Stewart is a sports, entertainment, and development executive with over 20 years of industry experience. After joining Riot Games in 2013, Stewart has produced all of Riot’s major international League of Legends esports broadcasts, including its World Championships in Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, China, France, England, Belgium, Germany, and multiple locations across the United States. He oversees all of Riot’s North American broadcasts with specialization in studio content and remote production. Stewart’s areas of focus include talent development, team building, coaching, and broadcast strategy.

JayTucker is a marketer, educator, and technology leader with more than 20 years of experience in the technology, academic, and entertainment sectors. At UCLA’s Center for Management of Enterprise in Media, Entertainment and Sports (MEMES), Tucker is responsible for the center’s vision, thought leadership, educational offerings, and major events. In his role, he has built courses, partnerships, and conferences focused on technology and innovation within the entertainment sector.

As a seasoned technology leader, Tucker is passionate about helping executives and entrepreneurs embrace disruption, drive innovation, and build powerful solutions. He has taught courses on technology management, digital media, and media literacy to professionals at corporations and nonprofit organizations. He also serves as an advisor to early stage ventures and nonprofit organizations.

Erik Weaver, Western Digital, Global Director, M&E Market Development

Erik Weaver is a specialist focused on the intersection of cloud and the media and entertainment industry, currently running strategy for Western Digital, one of the world’s largest storage companies in the world. Addressing the ever-changing and evolving media landscape, he brings deep insights for every stage of the workflow – from object storage and all-flash arrays to hybrid cloud storage solutions and archive.

Prior to this, Weaver’s experience includes “Production in the Cloud” for the Entertainment Technology Center (ETC) at the University of Southern California, the world-renowned school of Cinematic Arts. This organization is a global project that unites senior leaders from major studios to develop next-generation cloud standards to support global studios of all shapes, sizes, and types, as well as major cloud vendors, to produce proof of concepts and deliver more efficient and productive workflows. The group encompasses many aspects of the cloud, including transport, security, metadata, long-term storage, and formation of an agnostic framework that unites key vendors and studios.

Weaver has fostered and achieved many accomplishments in the M&E market including: executive producer of “The Suitcase” CAA People Choice Award (Tribeca 2017) and a project focused on HDR, cloud based workflows, and Live 360. He was executive producer of the “Wonder Buffalo” SXSW Interactivity Competition, in addition to being focused on an HRD first, cloud, and volumetric capture. The project was brought together by volumetric capture, photogrammetry, ambonisic sound, and interactivity.

Weaver was chairman of NAB’s Next Generation Media Technologies Conference from 2014-2017, as well as chairman of vNAB from 2015-2017. He is also part of the SMPTE C4 MR30 Standards group, which oversees and helps educate the M&E industry on using C4, semantics, and NoSQL for managing motion picture data. Weaver has spoken at more than 25 M&E conferences and trade shows.

Darrell Wenhardt, CBT Systems, Founding Principal

A 45-year veteran of the video production and television broadcast industry, Darrell Wenhardt is founding principal with two industry stalwart companies: Centro Corporation and CBT Systems. He is instrumental in facility and mobile unit designs that focus on operator-production environments and workflows over that of the traditional engineering oriented spaces.

Wenhardt designed and managed the installation and operation of numerous complex production and broadcast facilities located around the world, including: World Cup Soccer, the Goodwill Games, America’s Cup, the NFL Network, the MLB Network, and most recently the Google-YouTube Space Studios and Allied Esports Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Yvette Martinez-Rea, ESL, CEO and Managing Director

Yvette Martinez-Rea is chief executive officer at ESL North America, where she leads the strategy and operations of the region. ESL, a part of the international digital entertainment group MTG, is the world’s largest independent esports company. Previously, Martinez-Rea served as chief operating officer (COO) at ESL North America, where she oversaw business operations for the region.

Prior to ESL, Martinez-Rea served as chief operating officer at Violet Grey, a venture-backed luxury beauty content and commerce company based in Los Angeles. She oversaw the company’s growth, as well as business initiatives and the development of the company’s fulfillment, e-commerce systems, and retail operations.

Before joining Violet Grey, Martinez-Rea was a vice president of change management for Yahoo!’s Global Products organization, responsible for leading the cross-functional change efforts to improve engineering quality and overall organizational effectiveness for a 6,000-person global division. Previous roles at Yahoo! include senior director of strategy and business management, global products; senior director of strategy and business operations; and chief of staff to EVP Yahoo! North America. She also acted as the executive sponsor for the southern California chapter of Women in Technology.

Formerly, Martinez-Rea was the VP of operations at United Online, a publicly traded internet services provider, responsible for business and sales operations for multiple brands including NetZero, Juno, Classmates, Photosite, and UOL Web services.

Martinez-Rea also serves on the board of Young & Healthy, a non-profit dedicated to providing health care to underserved children. She holds dual undergraduate degrees in English literature and gender studies from the University of Southern California.

Robert Occhialini, Turner Sports, VP, Esports Products and Technology

Robert Occhialini is the VP of esports products and technology for Turner Sports. A Turner Sports employee for more than a decade, Occhialini was one of the first employees assigned to Turner’s esports initiatives, helping to strategically work through the esports landscape with the Turner Sports senior leadership team. He also worked on the formation of ELEAGUE, the premium esports tournament and content brand formed in partnership between Turner and IMG that launched in 2016.

In addition to being a member of the leadership team for ELEAGUE, Occhialini is currently responsible for new technology adoption, development and deployment of emerging technologies, and new digital products related to the esports market. In this capacity, he led the conception, design, and development of ELEAGUE’s innovative Game Command mosaic video player. Occhialini was also integral in negotiations between ELEAGUE and Twitch, which in early 2018 yielded a multi-year agreement for Twitch to be the exclusive third-party streaming platform for ELEAGUE’s popular live event coverage.

Prior to his career shift into the esports market, Occhialini served as the digital products executive for NBA Digital. He managed the portfolio of digital products and services for the NBA in the United States, including NBA League Pass and the NBA app across phones, tablets, game consoles, TV connected devices, smart TVs, and watches.

Drew Ohlmeyer, Allied Esports International, Head of Content

A veteran sports media executive and producer, Drew Ohlmeyer has spent three decades in sports tv production, most recently immersed in esports. Entering his second year as the head of content at Allied Esports, Ohlmeyer drives the creative vision and execution of Allied’s major live event streams and original content. He also managed the build of the network quality broadcast infrastructure at Allied’s crown jewel, the Esports Arena Las Vegas. Also at Allied, Ohlmeyer served as showrunner for “Ninja Vegas ‘18”, which set a new record on Twitch for Fortnite streams, eclipsing 667K concurrent views.

Prior to Allied, Ohlmeyer enjoyed a brief stint developing content for ESL – Turtle Entertainment and was also a coordinating producer for GoPro Entertainment. One of the original hires of NFL Network, Ohlmeyer spent 11 years with the NFL developing its network and new media platforms, including its coverage of breaking news and live events. He served as a senior producer contributing to NFL Network’s 100-plus hours of training camp coverage and covering major events such as the Super Bowl and the NFL Draft.